Guide To Alaska Airlines’ Partners

Alaska Airways serves greater than 120 locations and operates practically 1,200 flights that depart from the US, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize and Guatemala. The airline additionally affords a variety of West Coast hubs generally utilized by frequent vacationers, together with in main cities like Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; and Anchorage, Alaska. There are additionally two Alaska Airways hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Alaska Airways can be identified for its vary of companions that make it potential to fly to much more locations world wide. In truth, Alaska turned a member of the oneworld alliance in 2021, which opened the door to utilizing the airline and its alliance partnerships to fly to greater than 900 locations worldwide.

In the event you’re inquisitive about Alaska Airways’ companions, how they work and the best way to profit from them, learn on to be taught extra.

Who’re Alaska Airways’ companions?

As talked about, Alaska Airways is part of the oneworld alliance, which options 14 airways whole. This implies the service has a partnership with these airways, which may pave the best way to incomes and redeeming miles by every one. Elite members within the Alaska Mileage Plan program may also get pleasure from corresponding oneworld standing tiers (Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald) on all member airways.

Beneath you’ll see present oneworld companions and what number of locations they service. Notice that Alaska Airways additionally has a oneworld join partnership with Fiji Airways, which implies flyers get reciprocal advantages on the airline. One other airline, Oman Air, is ready to affix the oneworld alliance later in 2024 however will not be thought of a member airline but.

Alaska has further partnerships with airways that aren’t part of the oneworld alliance. When you can’t use your miles to guide flights on all of them, you’ll be able to guide paid flights by AlaskaAir.com and earn Alaska miles with every of those non-alliance partnerships.

The chart beneath exhibits which non-alliance companions allow you to earn miles with Alaska, redeem miles with the airline or do each:

Learn how to redeem miles with airline companions

Vacationers don’t have to fret about transferring miles after they wish to use one in all Alaska Airways’ companions. As an alternative, they’ll redeem their miles straight by the Alaska Airways web site.

Redeeming Alaska Airways miles by the airline’s companions is pretty easy and begins by trying on the airline’s fundamental awards chart, which exhibits what number of miles can be wanted for a flight with companions. Vacationers can merely have a look at the area they’re touring to and from, after which see the bottom variety of miles they would want to journey with Alaska or its companions based mostly on the gap they fly.

This awards chart provides you with a common concept of what number of miles you’d want, however as a result of Alaska miles can’t be used on all routes with each service, you need to use the Alaska Airways web site to test whether or not the fare you need is on the market and what number of miles it’s going to price. You’ll be able to test the flight you need and redeem your miles with companions by following these three steps:

1. Head to AlaskaAir.com and seek for the flight you need

This may be achieved by looking for the departure and arrival locations you need, including in your journey dates and by clicking the field that claims “Use miles.”

2. Evaluate flight choices

When you conduct a search, you’ll be able to select from obtainable award flights with Alaska and companions.

3. Ebook your award

Subsequent up, you’ll be able to guide your award. Notice that you just’ll need to fork over sufficient Alaska miles to guide the flight and pay government-mandated taxes and costs.

Guidelines to recollect

With regards to utilizing Alaska miles with companions, you’ll wish to maintain the next guidelines in thoughts:

• Awards with companions which have each an origin and vacation spot outdoors the U.S. and Canada have to be booked at the least 72 hours upfront if you wish to use miles.
• Stopovers are prohibited on award redemptions which have each an origin and vacation spot outdoors of the U.S. and Canada.
• Itineraries that embody at the least one associate airline require a $12.50 nonrefundable charge that’s charged per individual, per approach.
• Spherical-trip awards with Alaska miles on Korean Air price the identical as one-way awards by Alaska Airways.
• Alaska Airways sometimes doesn’t allow you to combine associate airways inside a single award fare.

Which Alaska companions are greatest?

Which Alaska Airways companions are greatest relies on the place you wish to fly and when. That is very true for Alaska Airways companions like Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways and Royal Jordanian which might be closely targeted on a selected area of the world.

That stated, some Alaska Mileage Plan candy spots by associate airways may show you how to get extra worth out of your miles. Candy spots are awards which might be supplied at a a lot cheaper price level than most opponents. So a flight that may often price 30,000 factors with different packages may cost a little simply 15,000 as a candy spot providing.

Think about using your miles with the next companions for these superior candy spot redemption choices:

• American Airways for flights to Hawaii: Fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) in financial system class for simply 17,500 Alaska miles one-way.
• Fiji Airways to go to Fiji: Use Alaska miles to fly to Fiji from Los Angeles (LAX) and pay simply 75,000 miles (plus airline taxes and costs) for a round-trip award fare.
• Qantas Airways for flights to Australia: Fly one-way from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) for 42,500 Alaska miles (plus airline taxes and costs).
• Qatar Airways for flights to the Center East: Ebook a one-way nonstop from New York Metropolis (JFK) to Doha, Qatar on Qatar Airways for 35,000 miles in financial system (plus airline taxes and costs).

When to make use of your Alaska miles with a associate

As a result of you’ll be able to’t really switch your Alaska miles to airline companions, you’ll be able to’t use your miles with all Alaska companions. Some companions solely permit you to earn Alaska miles on their flights, not spend them. Plus, pricing for awards can range fairly a bit. Finally, you’ll need to perform a little research on the Alaska Airways web site to learn how many miles you’ll want for the flight you wish to take with Alaska or one other airline.

When it is smart to guide with Alaska companions

It is smart to guide flights with Alaska companions in a number of completely different situations, crucial of which is whenever you’re getting a very good deal. In case you are looking for awards by Alaska and also you discover a associate award for a decrease variety of miles, decrease airline taxes and costs or each, it is smart to guide it over different choices.

It’s also possible to make the most of Alaska companions to guide award flights to locations the airline doesn’t fly to by itself. Keep in mind that Alaska Airways serves simply over 120 locations, though its predominant operations focus on:

• The U.S.
• Mexico
• Canada
• the Bahamas
• Costa Rica
• Belize
• Guatemala

Alaska companions make it potential to make use of your miles to fly to greater than 900 locations in 170 territories world wide, so that you’d have the potential for utilizing your miles to journey to extra locations than simply these listed above.

When it doesn’t make sense to guide flights with Alaska companions

It gained’t make sense to make use of miles with Alaska companions in case you’re being requested to fork over extra miles than you’ll in case you booked an award fare by a distinct program.

Notice the positive print concerning associate awards (beneath “Phrases”). The airline says the “beginning at” quantity in its award charts represents the “estimated minimal award costs on a number of of our associate airways.” It provides that it can’t assure obtainable stock at these award ranges on your desired dates or itinerary, and that associate awards are topic to capability controls.

Additionally bear in mind you can’t plan on utilizing Alaska miles to guide last-minute flights that start and finish in a global vacation spot. That’s as a result of awards with companions which have each an origin and vacation spot outdoors the U.S. and Canada have to be booked at the least 72 hours upfront if you wish to use miles. Stopovers are additionally prohibited on award redemptions which have each an origin and vacation spot outdoors of the U.S. and Canada.

Lastly, it doesn’t make sense to guide flights with companions if these companions will impose gas surcharges that may eat into the worth of your Alaska miles. For instance, British Airways could impose expenses from $150 to $1,000 for an award flight, and Hainan Airways could cost $100 to $750. Icelandair additionally mandates a carrier-imposed cost that ranges from $150 to over $300 for all awards redeemed by Alaska Airways Mileage Plan members.

Learn how to maximize Alaska miles

Getting essentially the most out of your Alaska miles works higher when you’ve gotten a plan in place. Listed here are a number of methods you’ll be able to maximize the miles you’ve gotten labored so arduous to earn:

• Be as versatile as you’ll be able to. Being versatile along with your journey dates is at all times sensible whenever you’re looking for an award fare, and you may even check out a number of departure airports when you have that flexibility. The extra choices you’ve gotten with regards to the place and whenever you journey, the extra probably you’ll be capable to get essentially the most out of your miles.
• Earn extra miles with Alaska bank cards: When you can earn miles by flying with the airline and choose companions, a number of co-branded airline bank cards from Alaska may help you earn rewards quicker. Playing cards to think about embody the Alaska Airways Visa® bank card and the Alaska Airways Visa® Enterprise card*.
• Ebook early. Alaska Airways could be very clear that, with regards to its companions, a few of them have capability controls that restrict availability. Based mostly on this info, reserving as early as you’ll be able to will go away you with essentially the most choices.
• Take a look at one-way fares. Additionally, keep in mind that you could have higher luck reserving one-way flights along with your miles as an alternative of round-trip itineraries. Chances are you’ll discover higher choices for every leg of your journey on completely different companions, however you’ll by no means know except you evaluate round-trip choices to one-way bookings.
• Think about a number of airline companions. Lastly, keep in mind that a few of Alaska’s companions will work higher than others based mostly in your vacation spot, departure airport and dates. Hold your thoughts open and your eyes out for the very best deal, and also you’ll wind up forking over fewer miles for the flight you need.

The underside line

Alaska Airways has fairly a number of partnerships by the oneworld alliance, and its many different non-alliance companions will allow you to use your miles in much more methods. That stated, the proper redemption for you actually relies on the place you wish to go, whenever you wish to go and which cabin you wish to fly in.

Our recommendation? Join a journey bank card that permits you to earn Alaska miles whereas having fun with different frequent flyer perks, and start looking for the flight you want when you’re prepared. It’s also possible to take a look at Bankrate’s journey toolkit for suggestions and methods on the best way to maximize journey with a bank card.

*The details about the Alaska Airways Visa® Enterprise card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The cardboard particulars haven’t been reviewed or authorised by the cardboard issuer.